Audio 5:03
Pressure mounts against Musharraf ahead of protests

Barney PorterUpdated
Tue 13 Nov 2007, 3:21 PM AEDT

International pressure against Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf is growing ahead of a planned protest march against the emergency rule he imposed earlier this month, but he is showing no sign of easing his grip on the country.

Transcript

ELEANOR HALL: The international pressure on Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, is growing today ahead of a protest march planned in Pakistan against his imposition of emergency rule.

Commonwealth foreign minsters meeting overnight in London have threatened to suspend Pakistan from the Commonwealth if the General doesn't lift the state of emergency, while the United Nations and the United States have also criticised his actions.

However, General Musharraf is showing no sign of easing his grip on the country, and has even placed the opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, under house arrest for the second time in less than a week.

Barney Porter reports.

BARNEY PORTER: General Musharraf imposed emergency rule on November the 3rd, suspending the Constitution, sacking most judges, locking up lawyers, rounding up thousands of opposition and rights activists and curbing the media. That's prompted a meeting in London of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group.

Today, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, warned that Pakistan will be suspended from the Commonwealth, if General Musharraf fails to revoke most of his moves towards military rule.

DON MCKINNON: Immediate repeal of the emergency provisions and full restoration of the Constitution and of the independence of the judiciary; President Musharraf to step down as Chief of Army Staff as promised; immediate release of political party leaders and activists, human rights activists, lawyers and journalists detained under the proclamation of emergency; immediate removal of all curbs on private media broadcasts and restrictions on the press; move rapidly towards the creation of conditions for the holding of free and fair elections in accordance with the Constitution.

BARNEY PORTER: General Musharraf has been given 10 days to comply with the demands, before the Commonwealth meets in Kenya to review the situation.

The British Foreign Office Minister, Lord Malloch-Brown, has explained the Commonwealth's decision.

MARK MALLOCH-BROWN: This was a pretty tough message of one last chance, but the reason we did that rather than suspend immediately, was there has been some progress in the last few days.

BARNEY PORTER: It's not the first time the Commonwealth has tried to flex its muscles over Pakistan. It was suspended in 1999, when General Musharraf first seized power in a coup. Pakistan was re-admitted to the Commonwealth five years later, with General Musharraf still in charge and still wearing a military uniform.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, has indicated frustration with the General is growing, and earlier today in a speech at the Lord Mayor of London's annual banquet, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, reinforced the message.

GORDON BROWN: Today, and I believe together, we call on President Musharraf of Pakistan to restore the Constitution and implement the necessary conditions to guarantee fair and free elections on schedule in January.

We call on him to release all political prisoners, including members of the judiciary and human rights activists now in prison, to pursue energetically reconciliation with political opposition, to honour his commitment to step down as Chief of Army Staff and to relax restrictions on free speech.

BARNEY PORTER: Today, the US President George W. Bush, has said he wants emergency rule lifted first in Pakistan to enable free and fair elections to go ahead and that General Musharraf must also shed his army uniform.

As well, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has urged the General to lift the emergency measures and release all political prisoners, including Asma Jahangir, the UN's Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief. The Pakistani national is among leading judges and lawyers who were placed under house arrest at the beginning of the crisis.

But there's no indication General Musharraf is responding to the tough talk. Indeed, the Pakistani opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, has again been placed under house arrest ahead of a planned protest march she was hoping to lead.

Speaking to reporters, she's urged all Pakistanis to join the procession, even if police try to block her from attending.

BENAZIR BHUTTO: We cannot work with somebody who has suspended our Constitution, imposed emergency, arrested the judiciary, enforced an army act. We tried to work with him to stop this situation from developing.

JOURNALIST: It sounds like you can't share power with him then. It sounds like you really can't do business with him.

BENAZIR BHUTTO: That... this is the reason why we are taking the long march, because we feel so unsure about what he says.

BARNEY PORTER: However, authorities have said they won't allow the long march to go ahead, citing a ban on political gatherings and concerns for her safety. The latest government warning has come from the Minister for Railways, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

RASHID AHMED: If somebody wants to cross the limit and if he wants to hold a rally and procession, so there will be a very strict administration in force, that's with her or that's on his risk. If somebody wants to take a great risk it's up to her or him.